I'm in the process of buying a Ruger #1 in 450-400 N.E. Anybody have one? How about information on it?

My reason to buy is that in 1998 I bought a Westley Richards 450-400 double, s/n T2800. It had been sold into India way back in the early 1900s. WR sent me info on its history. It was sold through Jerimiah Lyon & Co., London to an Indian tiger hunter Aug. 31, 1908.

I took it to Africa, and then sold it for $6,000 - a $500 profit.

This rates as one of my dumber mistakes - right?

So, I like the caliber, but being on a fixed income, I can't afford a double.

I'd sell my front seat in Hell to buy this double back, but the buyer said "no way, never".

Pop, I found the recoil harsher than need be with the standard Ruger stock and butt pad. Adding a Decelerator helped a lot. A better fix would be replacing the wood with something much more along the lines of a true English sporting pattern. Be prepared to dress the safety to allow reliable ejection -- another common fix on a Number 1.

I have one and it has served me well as a poor mans double.

It is very light for the caliber. I sent mine to Aaron little and had him make the following modifications: red decelerator recoil pad, Trop safety for positive ejection, and NECG express rear and patridge front sight. Hold on tight!

I had Ed at Nyati Inc load me some intermediate ammo with 300 grain Barnes tsx bullets, which in my gun shot an inch at 100 with a leupold 1-4 scope.

What's your thinking on Mag-Na-Port?

I'll go with the safety and recoil pad.

Nyati Inc has done me good before, so 300-gr sounds good.

Pop, if you think you'll be spending a lot of time at the range, the Mag-Na-Port might make sense. If your thought is that you will get your load work up done and then mostly hunt with the rifle, you'll never notice the recoil in the field but you will notice the extra noise. You can make load work up much more pleasant by putting some lead in the hole in the butt and shooting from an elevated bench. Remove the lead before going hunting.
One other thought: I have extended my range time with No. 1s in bigger calibers by working up an accurate cast bullet load as well. I particularly enjoyed shooting a No. 1 in .416 Rigby with cast.

I have one; super nice caliber. I put a merc brake in the butt; tames it right down. Mag na port does not reduce recoil; you need a real brake for that. It only decreases muzzle flip. I shoot a lot of 300 grain bullets in it; that reduces recoil too and is plenty for most game except DG. And cast bullets I make for the 40-65.
You can't get the benefits of this versatile caliber unless you reload.

If you have clean brass Nyati inc will knock off a bit as well.

I have really enjoyed mine. What I really want is an English style stock for it.

I shoot a 260gr Impala Bullet in mine to practice with. They aren't expensive and recoil is minimal. Off the bench the gun does bite a bit more than say a 375 H&H, but nothing out of the ordinary for a .40 Caliber firearm. I haven't modified anything, although the Safety does need work, and a decelerator pad will certainly help. It's a nice light gun to carry around and use as a hunting rifle.

I used mine with the 325gr GS Custom HV Bullet on Buffalo last year. The lighter bullet at a higher velocity and with improved BC, makes the gun more versatile. Initial shot was taken at 200m.

I also have one and do enjoy the cartridge. It's highly unlikely I'll ever need it for an African hunt so I did as others suggested and worked up two cast bullet loads. One with a 410 gr. bullet I use in my Sharps 40-70 and another with a 270 gr. bullet I use in my 10.5 X 47R. Both are accurate with the 410 gr. bullet being scary accurate. I worked up a full house load just in case there's ever a need to eliminate elephant or cape buffalo from our garden...which is more likely than me getting to Africa.

Before I acquired mine I had never shot anything bigger than a 7mm stw in a rifle that weighed 9.5 lbs.

The biggest problem is the weight (8.25 lbs). That being said, if you squeeze it hard against the shoulder and shoot it standing up it is fine. I also only shoot the Hornady 400 grain solids 3 or 4 times a session, and pick up a .22 and shoot about 25 times right after.

I don't reload, but the intermediate Nyati ammo is like shooting a 30.06. Ruger could really knock this thing out of the park if the safari caliber no. 1's came with the express sights, a real recoil pad and a little more weight.

A big thumbs up for a Decelerator pad!

That said, with a low power scope which both adds some weight and raises the line of sight so the stock doesn't take my cheekbone off, I find full factory loads to be less punishing than a .375 H&H. The recoil is big, but slow. An upright position at the bench helps a lot, and shooting it offhand is actually not bad at all, and I'm a wimp with recoil.

The other great thing I've discovered, like several of the folks above, is that reduced loads make it a pussycat. My favorite is 36 grs of 5744 with the 300 gr Hornady flat point (made for the .405 WCF) which gives about 1600 fps and shoots tiny little groups. I have yet to try a BP load for it, but with a 250-300 gr paper patch bullet it ought to be a hoot with 100 grs of FFg!

The Ruger stock is all wrong when it comes to mitigating recoil and a new pad, while easing the punch, won't improve the ergonomics of the stock. Once in a while, you will meet someone who finds the No.1 to fit well but maybe they just haven't used a well laid out big bore before.
Mike Tulowitski stocked my 400 and it is much better now. He does a lot of Ruger No.1s and if you have a nice dense piece of wood it is also a chance to add a little weight. I was very surprised at how light the original wood was.
The safety should be replaced not only to allow better ejection, but also to keep your thumb from being gouged.
I will add, as mentioned above, that the No.1 in .375H&H is worse IMO than the 450/400.

Here is my restocked 400.

Huvius, that's a lovely workover. Looks like you had Mike color case your receiver too.

Yes he did.
He didn't do the lever as at the time we didn't discuss it. The look of the colored action with the black lever has really grown on me.

If you can, take a look at the Boddington model before you buy. There are several for sale in that caliber.

Huvius 100% with you on the No.1 stock. And the safety. Had the safety on my 450/400 custom made and recessed.

Would like to see more photos of your rifle please.

Cheers, Chris

Curious. What did Michael change dimensionally to improve the stock vs. factory stock. Is comb height, cast, LOP etc. changed. They do seem to punch a little even in the lighter calibers.

Thanks for the additional views, Huvius. Mike does great work!

Outrageous rifle, Huvius. How do I get in touch with Mike?

I'm still waiting on my 450-400's arrival from PA. It was shipped on the 15th, but I understand the Northeast has a slight problem with weather.

No, it's not easy to wait. I was interested in a Boddington rifle, as I met him on an African Safari a while ago, but I have an S&W 629 .44 Mag that I traded as part of the deal, so had to go with this one I bought.

I think he got this stock from Luxus in a more or less completed state. It had a really big cheekpiece which I had him slim down.
It feels like it has a little more drop at the heel than the original stock.
I do see him turning a lot of No.1 stocks at his shop and am sure he could make any alteration a client could want.

I think the issue with No.1 stocks is that they are more set up for scoped shooting rather than open sights which, of course, will be the primary use of a 450/400.

Try a 210gr Hornady XTP over 30gr of Trail Boss for a light load. It will give you about 1850 fps with no recoil and if you want to shoot a hog or a deer they won't argue with that load. For full power loads I put a 400gr Hornady DGX over 90gr of Reloader 22 for about 2200 fps. It kicks a little more than the Hornady factory loads but really isn't bad.

quote:

Originally posted by poprivit:
Outrageous rifle, Huvius. How do I get in touch with Mike?

Right here:

http://www.acgg.org/index.php/...ile/Mtulowitzki.html

He colored this for me too.

Not a Ruger, but you get the idea of what he turns out.

John Todd did the engraving.

http://www.acgg.org/index.php/...ile/John%20Todd.html

The 450-400 either 3" or 3-1/4" has been my favorite buffalo and elephant gun for years. I have owned a number of them in double rifle persuasion...The Ruger no.1-s is a std. weight rifle and recoil is severe with a 400 gr. bullet at 2150 to 2200 FPS in a Ruger and 2125 FPS in a double.

That said, hunting DG with a single shot rifle is a stunt imo, and not very smart..they work 99% of the time, its that rare 1% that gets you stomped or et...but of course your PH can save your bacon if he knows his business and that can be iffy in todays Africa, but to each his own.

Sure. But who wants to live forever?

Go for it. Just don't let your choice of firearm put your trackers or your PH in any danger.

quote:

Originally posted by poprivit:
I'm in the process of buying a Ruger #1 in 450-400 N.E. Anybody have one? How about information on it?

Try Dewey's Pawn Shop - Greenville SC
(864) 422-0072

RJ Renner does magic with Ruger rifles, both the SS and the mod 77...He will make a muzzle brake out of the barrel band front sight that is awesome..and doesn't lengthen the barrel..I like that approach..He also completely reshapes a stock including recheckering, new steel grip cap Recoil pad of metal butt plate, all for $750. and wow! does it look great...Take a look, he is somewhere in Nevada I think.....

www.rjrenner.com
www.rjrenner.blogspot.com